Underworld Encounter
by tallshadow72
Summary: What if Percy & co had met Hazel during The Lightning Thief? AU. One-shot.


**A/N: I own nothing.**

* * *

Grover was truly, properly terrified. Bad enough that he was in the Underworld, making his way toward Hades's palace. Now he'd been kidnapped by his own _shoes_. He wasn't sure where they were taking him, but he was willing to wager that he wasn't going to like the destination. Percy and Annabeth shouted after him, but they couldn't seem to catch him.

Then a pair of hands grabbed one of his. Grover's journey slowed, but he was still being dragged along at an alarming rate. The shoes veered off toward a tunnel that radiated pure evil. Just as he was about to enter the tunnel, he stopped short, like he'd hit an invisible barrier. No—like his _rescuer_ had hit an invisible barrier.

Two more pairs of hands grabbed hold of him. The shoes pulled themselves off his hooves and zipped down the tunnel of doom. The three pairs of hands released him, and Grover collapsed.

Wait. _Three_ pairs of hands?

Grover turned to look at his rescuers. Two of them were Percy and Annabeth, as he expected, but the third was a black girl about their age who wore a tattered, old-fashioned dress.

"Thanks," Grover gasped out. "Uh…who are you?"

"Hazel Levesque," the girl replied. "And you're welcome."

"What are you doing down here?" Percy asked curiously.

"What do you think?" Hazel responded sadly. Taking a closer look, Grover noticed that she was slightly transparent.

"You're dead," Annabeth realized. "A spirit of Asphodel. But—then why aren't you like the others? Why—"

"—do I still look and sound like I did in life?" Hazel finished. She glanced at the palace in the distance. "Courtesy of my father, I imagine," she said bitterly.

"Your…oh," Percy trailed off in realization. "But…if he's your dad, then why did you help us?"

"You think just because he's my dad, I have to be just like him?" Hazel asked, slightly angrily. "No thanks. I won't abandon people in need. Besides…you're the most interesting thing to happen since I died."

"Well, whatever your reason, _thank you_ ," Grover said again. "Seriously, thank you, from the bottom of my heart." He glanced at the tunnel. An evil voice seemed to be chanting in the darkness, in some language even older than Greek.

"We should get away from here," Hazel said worriedly. "Normally I wouldn't go anywhere near this place…" A blast of cold wind pulled at them, almost like the tunnel was inhaling. "Run!"

They ran, struggling against the wind. Further away from the tunnel, the wind died. A voice wailed in outrage.

"Tartarus," Hazel said shakily. "Worse even than Punishment." She looked around at the three of them. "What are you doing down here? It's dangerous. Just because you were alive when you came in, that doesn't mean Father will let you leave that way."

"We're here to see him," Percy said grimly. "I don't suppose you could take us to your father? Maybe convince him to help us?"

Hazel shook her head, looking sad again. "I can't reach his palace. I've tried. If you really want to talk to him, you'll have to go without me."

"And just leave you here?" Grover objected. "After you saved my life and all? Isn't there something we can do to repay you?"

"You've given me my first entertainment in a very long time," Hazel said quietly. "That's plenty."

"But you seem so nice," Percy persisted. "Maybe we could put in a good word for you? Ask your dad to move you to Elysium?"

Hazel shook her head again. "I was lucky to escape Punishment. Please, just go. And whatever you're doing…good luck."

* * *

When Hazel first arrived at Camp Jupiter, she was a little apprehensive. She was afraid that she would run into that mysterious trio and they would reveal her for what she was. But there was no trace of them at camp. And the fauns…it was clear that fauns did not go on quests. So why did those two demigods have a faun with them?

And then one day on guard duty, a ratty teenage boy ran across traffic carrying an equally ratty woman. At first Hazel thought the boy was a god in disguise, and that this was some kind of test. But once she collapsed the tunnel on the gorgons and had a moment to properly look at the boy, she realized that he wasn't a god. He was the same boy she had once met in the Underworld. He didn't seem to have recognized her yet, but how long would her luck hold?

She felt highly relieved when the boy—Percy Jackson, apparently—revealed that his memory was gone. And then she felt guilty that she felt relieved. He'd offered to intercede with Pluto on her behalf. He didn't deserve this.

* * *

Percy couldn't help but notice that Hazel seemed nervous. The way she kept looking at him, it was almost like she expected him to bust out Riptide and attack her. "You okay?" he asked her.

She jumped. "What? Yes. Yes, I'm fine."

"You sure? Because the way you keep looking at me…"

Hazel looked panicked, almost like she'd been caught in a searchlight. "Nothing, it's just…the last time we had a son of Neptune at camp, it didn't end well. But it's fine. You seem like a good guy. I'm sure you won't cause any earthquakes."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Percy said drily, not convinced. Hazel was hiding something, he was sure of it.

* * *

Once Frank had taken Percy to get cleaned up, Hazel followed Nico up to the roof of Pluto's temple. "You know him, don't you," Hazel said quietly. It wasn't really a question.

"Percy Jackson," Nico said, almost reverently. "Hazel, I have to be careful what I say. Important things are at work here."

"So you _do_ know him."

"Yes," Nico sighed. "But—"

"What about his friends? The blonde girl? The faun? Do you know them?"

Nico stared at her. "How…?"

She told him the story. "If…if Percy gets his memory back, he'll know I'm from the Underworld."

Nico continued staring at her for a few moments, then sighed again. "Percy's a good guy. I don't think he'll judge you or sell you out. And his friends…look, I'm sorry, but I really can't talk about this. There's a reason you've never seen any of them at Camp Jupiter. The fact that Percy's here now…I can't interfere. But don't worry about that. You can trust him."

* * *

As they sailed away from Portland, Hazel finally worked up the courage to tell her story. Though she wasn't proud of what she'd done under Gaea's direction, the hardest part was admitting her deception to Percy.

"Once I was in Asphodel, nothing happened, for a long time…until…" Hazel took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Percy's eyes. "Until the day I met you."

"Wait. You met me…in Asphodel?" Percy asked nervously. "You mean to say, I'm dead too?"

"No. I don't know exactly what you were doing in the Underworld, but you were alive. You and your friends—a blonde girl and a faun."

Percy's expression turned hopeful. "Blonde girl…Annabeth?"

"Maybe. I never knew your names."

"And Don said I had an empathy link with a faun," Percy continued thoughtfully. "Must be the same one."

"Possibly. All I know is that you said you were on your way to talk to my father. And the faun's shoes kidnapped him and tried to drag him into Tartarus."

" _What?!_ " Both Percy and Frank looked at her strangely.

She explained how she rescued the faun. "You asked how you could repay me, even offered to ask Dad to move me to Elysium. I turned you down, but…I've never forgotten that kindness, Percy. Whoever you were before you lost your memory, you were a good guy. I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this sooner."

"I get it, Hazel," Percy said quietly. "I can't imagine how hard it must be, telling us all of this." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Ever since I drank that gorgon's blood…bits and pieces have been coming back to me. I think—I think I remember what you're talking about. I regretted not being able to help you before. Now I can. I'm glad we've met again."

Hazel finally smiled. "So am I."

* * *

 **A/N: I considered showing Annabeth reuniting with Hazel, but this felt like a better ending point.**


End file.
